Gin Rummy is a fast, tactical two-player card game about building melds and keeping your leftover cards cheap. Learn the rules while we build the table.
Gin Rummy History and Origins
Gin Rummy belongs to the rummy family, games built on collecting sets and runs. According to the standard account, it was devised in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker, with roots in New York.
For some thirty years the game stayed mostly local to New York. Then, around 1941, it became a fad among film people in Hollywood and spread across the United States.
How to Play Gin Rummy: Basic Rules
Gin Rummy uses one standard 52-card deck and two players. Ace is low only, so A-2-3 is a valid run but Q-K-A is not in the standard game. The aim is to leave fewer unmatched cards than your opponent.
- Deal ten cards to each player, one at a time. Turn the next card face up to start the discard pile; the rest is the stock.
- Know the melds. A set is three or four cards of one rank. A run is three or more consecutive cards of one suit. Other cards are deadwood.
- Count deadwood by card value: aces are 1, face cards are 10, and every other card is worth its number.
- On the first turn, the non-dealer may take the upturned card or pass. If they pass, the dealer may take it. If both pass, the non-dealer draws from the stock.
- Each turn, draw from the stock or the discard pile, then discard one card face up. You may not discard the card just taken from the pile.
- Knock when your deadwood totals 10 or less, after drawing and with a discard. Going gin means knocking with no deadwood at all.
- After a knock, the opponent may lay off: add their unmatched cards to the knocker's sets and runs. This is not allowed against a gin hand, and the knocker never lays off onto the opponent's melds.
- Compare deadwood. If the knocker has less, they score the difference. First to 100 points wins.
Gin Rummy Scoring: Gin, Undercut and Bonuses
A normal knock scores the difference in deadwood. Going gin earns a bonus of 25 points (some sources use 20) plus the opponent's entire deadwood. Big Gin, an 11-card hand where every card is melded, is a house rule that often pays 31 points plus the opponent's deadwood, and sometimes 50.
An undercut happens when you knock but the opponent, after laying off, has equal or lower deadwood. The opponent scores the difference plus a bonus, commonly 25, though 10 and 20 are also used. Bonuses vary by source, so treat these as common values. If the stock falls to two cards with no knock, the hand is normally a draw.
Gin Rummy Strategy: Tips to Win More Hands
These habits separate steady winners from casual players.
- Discard high cards early. Face cards cost 10 each, so dumping them keeps deadwood low if the opponent knocks suddenly.
- Watch what the opponent takes from the discard pile, since it reveals the melds they are building, and avoid feeding them.
- Take a discard only if it clearly improves your hand, because it shows the opponent what you need.
- Prefer connected cards: 6-7 of one suit takes two ranks, while 6-8 needs one.
- Knock early when ahead, which denies the opponent time to reach gin.
- Be careful knocking with 8 to 10, since a marginal knock can hand the opponent undercut points.
- Track discards. Knowing which cards are gone tells you when a draw is hopeless and it is time to knock.
Gin Rummy Variants: Oklahoma and Hollywood
Oklahoma Gin changes one thing: the value of the first upturned card sets the maximum deadwood you may knock with in that hand. If it is a 4, you need 4 or less. In many versions a spade up-card doubles the hand's score, and the target is often 150 rather than 100.
Hollywood scoring is a way of keeping score, not different rules: three games are tracked at once.
Compared with Rummy 500 and Canasta, Gin Rummy is leaner: two players, no wild cards, and no melding onto the table mid-hand. You hold everything until the knock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is deadwood in Gin Rummy?
Deadwood is every card not in a set or run. Aces count 1, face cards 10, and other cards their number. You may knock only when your deadwood totals 10 or less, so keeping it low is the heart of the game.
What is the difference between knock and gin?
Knocking ends the hand when your deadwood is 10 or less, and the opponent can then lay off cards onto your melds. Going gin means knocking with zero deadwood. It earns a bonus, and the opponent cannot lay off or undercut you.
What is an undercut in Gin Rummy?
An undercut occurs when you knock but your opponent ends with equal or lower deadwood after laying off. They score the difference plus a bonus, commonly 25 points, so a careless knock on exactly 10 can backfire badly.
How many points do you play to in Gin Rummy?
A standard game is played to 100 points, usually with a 100-point bonus for the winner. Oklahoma Gin is often played to 150, and many groups add a per-hand line bonus, so agree house rules before dealing.
Can you play Gin Rummy with an ace high?
In the standard game ace is low only, so A-2-3 is a run but Q-K-A is not. Some variants, such as Tedesco gin, let aces run high or wrap around the corner. With friends, agree this rule before the first deal.
Will this site offer free Gin Rummy online?
We plan to offer Gin Rummy as a free browser game with no sign-up, with a computer opponent and games with friends. These features are still being built, so for now this page covers rules and strategy.